Strange but Special Mademoiselle
by MusicAngel98
Summary: A few days before the celebration, Belle runs into some trouble with the headmaster again. Will a surprise visit from her prince set things right? Beauty & the Beast, Belle/Adam one-shot! I do not own Beauty & the Beast or any of its characters. This is purely for entertainment


**Surprise everyone! I'm not dead! I know I've been inactive on this account for a while and I am so sorry for that! But now that I have graduated high school and can actually do what I want with my life, I'm hoping that I will find more time to write and publish for you guys! Just a note, I am more active on my Wattpad account so if you want more and/or different works, check me out at BloodRoseAngel**

 **Anyways, I consider myself a Beauty & the Beast superfan! I have watched the animated movie more times than can be counted, own any and pretty much all merchandise I can get my hands on, have watched the stage production 4 different times, worked with the original Broadway Belle herself Susan Egan, have read the original 1754 fairytale, have watched the new movie about 100 times and counting (it's playing in the background while I write this), and can identify which of the 3 soundtracks a specific song is off of just by the intro. So yeah, superfan.**

 **Now, the new movie has given me so much inspiration for new stories. So I thought I'd finally get off my lazy butt and publish something for you guys, starting with this one-shot! It takes place after the curse is broken but before the celebration. I kinda think of this as a 'Meet Belle/Adam' story. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Belle sat on the fountain, simply watching her small provincial town go about its business. The curse had been broken, family members and friends reunited, and Adam had gained permission from her father to formally begin courting her. With all the magic and curses, it was shocking that _that_ was the aspect she really couldn't believe. A _prince_ was courting her! Though she had never known he was a prince while in his beast form, now that he was back to human form, she still couldn't wrap her mind around it. A prince loved her! A 'funny' farm girl had somehow managed to not only fall in love with a prince but have that prince fall in love with her as well. It was like something out of one of her storybooks. She couldn't believe this was her real life.

However, no one in her small village had come to know that. They knew the curse had been broken but they never realized that Belle was the one who had broken it. They didn't know she and Adam had been courting. All they knew was that Belle had lived in the castle and that the curse had been broken. Belle did not correct them out of fear of being discriminated against more. She sighed. She wished she could see Adam. He was at the castle preparing for the celebration in a few days and her and her father's rooms. She and her father were set to permanently move into the castle after the celebration. Belle couldn't be happier. For once, she had everything she could ever want or need.

"Excuse me, but are you mademoiselle Belle?" A voice broke her thoughts. She looked up to see the girl she had been teaching before she went to the castle. The small girl was holding hands with a woman who looked to be an older version of her, most likely her mother.

"Yes, I am." She answered slowly, afraid the woman would berate her for teaching her daughter to read.

" _Enchanté."_ The woman said. "I'm Julienne and this is my daughter, Delphine." The little girl waved. "Before you left for the castle, you started teaching my daughter to read, is that correct?" Belle nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I know the headmaster doesn't like it, but would you consider continuing to teach her?" Belle's eyes widened. "I learned only enough to not be illiterate but I am far from your knowledge and Delphine just wouldn't stop talking about you." Julienne leaned in to stage whisper, "I think she wants to be just like you. She's started insisting I tie her hair in a blue ribbon like yours."

Belle looked at Delphine and saw that she did indeed have her dark curls tied with a blue ribbon much like Belle's. "Are you sure you want me to?" Belle asked. The woman and her daughter could both face dire social consequences if Belle taught her.

Julienne sighed. "I could never say this in front of the other villagers but I have always admired the intelligence you have. You weren't a 'funny girl' to me. You were a girl who I hoped my daughter would grow up to be like. So yes, I am sure I want you to continue teaching my daughter. No matter what the headmaster or villagers think."

Belle smiled. She was glad someone also saw the change that needed to happen. "Then I would be honored." Delphine let out a little squeal and ran to hug Belle. Belle returned the hug before sitting her on the fountain next to her.

Julienne kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I'll be back in an hour or two to get you." Delphine nodded and Julienne turned to Belle. "Thank you, mademoiselle." Belle smiled at her and nodded. "Pere Robert gave her a primer to start with. He knew you would help her." Belle laughed a little. Pere Robert knew her habits all too well. Julienne kissed her daughter one last time before heading into the market.

Belle turned to Delphine. "Why don't we start with…"

The little girl cut her off with an excited smile, "Can you tell me about the castle?" Belle blinked in surprise. "Did you wear gowns like that pretty yellow one? Were there servants? What was Prince Adam like?"

Belle laughed at the girl's excitement for her stories. Being the clever girl she is, she thought of a way to teach and give Delphine her stories. "Why don't we make a deal?" Delphine cocked her head in curiosity. "For every two sentences in this primer you read on your own, I'll tell you a story from the castle." Delphine smile grew. Belle held out her hand. "Deal?"

"Deal." They shook hands.

* * *

About 45 minutes into Belle's lesson, the girl insisted on hearing the story of why she was in the yellow gown. Belle blushed at the memory of that night. She had felt something towards Adam that she had never felt before in her life. Before she could start the story, however, a thundering voice interrupted them, "I thought we had dealt with this issue already."

Belle's head snapped up to face the school's headmaster. Her throat tightened. She knew this would not end well for her, Delphine, or Julienne. "Come along, Delphine." She said calmly. "We'll find somewhere else to finish this up."

Delphine nodded nervously. Belle hopped down off the fountain and helped the small girl do the same. They turned to walk away but the headmaster stopped them. "You will not be going anywhere!" Belle turned to face him, hiding the slight fear she felt. Delphine let out a small whimper and hid behind Belle's skirt. The headmaster stepped towards them and crossed his arms over his chest. A small crowd had gathered and Belle, not for the first time, wished she was back at the castle with Adam. "I assume you're smart enough to remember what happened the last time you attempted to corrupt this young girls' mind?"

"You're the one corrupting people's minds!" Belle shot back, feeling a bit of courage. A few members of the crowd let out gasps and the headmaster blinked in shock. "There's nothing wrong with girls and women learning to read and being intelligent! The only reason people think there is is because of people like you, telling them that women shouldn't be allowed to speak their minds or even think for themselves. If anyone is corrupting minds, it's you!"

The air was tense as they waited for the headmaster's response. Belle watched as the headmaster took a deep breath before speaking, "It's clear that you are not as intelligent as you believe yourself to be." He took a few steps towards her, leaving only a few inches between them. "If you were smart, you would've learned your lesson the first time!" Without another word, his hand came up and slapped her across the face. Belle's head snapped to the side and she raised a hand to her stinging cheek. Before she could react, he grabbed her arm in a bruising grip and started leading her away. "Obviously, we need to use other methods to teach you."

Belle started struggling against his grip when a familiar voice yelled out, "You will release her this instant or spend the rest of your life teaching the rats in the dungeon." The crowd gasped and turned to see Adam standing behind them. Belle let herself smile slightly at the sight of her beloved.

As he started towards the headmaster, the crowd parted, ladies curtsying and men bowing as he passed. The headmaster released Belle's arm and bowed when the prince reached him. Belle simply rubbed her arm to rid herself of the irritation. He shot a glare at her. "Are you completely daft, woman?" He snapped, "Bow before the prince!"

Adam held out a hand to stop him. "You are already skating on very thin ice." He said in a dangerously calm voice. "Do not make things worse, monsieur." He turned to Belle with worry in his blue eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She answered quietly. He still took her chin in his fingers and examined her cheek. "Truly, I'm fine."

Adam finally relented and nodded. He turned back to the crowd. "Now would someone be kind enough to explain why the headmaster believed it to be a good idea to lay his hand on this lovely mademoiselle."

"It's my fault, your Highness." Julienne admitted, coming to the front of the crowd. Delphine quickly rushed to her side, gripping her mother's hand tightly. "I asked her to teach my daughter to read, knowing full well the consequences that could happen. I'm so sorry."

Adam stepped down to stand in front of the two with a smile. "There is nothing you need to apologize for, madame." He said. She looked at him with slight shock. "I admire you wanting your daughter to learn and expand her mind like Belle has." Julienne smiled thankfully. "And both of you are welcome to visit the castle library anytime you would like for a larger collection."

Julienne's jaw dropped with a smile and Delphine clapped her hands in excitement. "Thank you so much, your Highness." She gave a small curtsy, her daughter shakily following.

Adam's smile fell as he turned back to the headmaster with a glare. "You hit a woman merely because she was teaching a child?" The headmaster avoided the prince's gaze and stayed silent. "Not only that, you hit a woman who is under the protection of the crown?" The crowd gasped. They knew you had to be either working for the prince or important to him to be under his protection.

The headmaster looked up at him in shock. "I… I was not aware she was under the protection of your family, your Highness." He stuttered.

Adam looked at him confused. Belle stepped forward. "None of them know, Adam." She explained. A few eyes widened. A commoner was addressing the prince by his first name! He looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. "They know the curse was broken and that I lived in the castle but none of them know how or why."

He chuckled with an amused smirk. "And you never told them?"

She shrugged, a blush coating her cheeks. "I thought they would think I was making it up. I would be an even bigger laughing stock than I was, than I am." Adam let out a sound between a laugh and a groan and was about to turn back to the crowd when Belle stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Adam, you don't need to do this."

He gently took her hand in his. "Yes, I do." He responded. "I'm not going to sit by and let them treat you this way." He lightly kissed her knuckles, making her smile and her blush darken. He turned back to the crowd, keeping her hand in his. "As you all are now aware, Belle is under the protection of the crown which means that anyone who harms her will be facing dire consequences." Belle saw the headmaster pale at the statement. "The reason for this being as she is the one who broke the curse that had trapped myself and my staff for so long." The crowd gasped. "The curse was placed on me due to my inability to look past the surface and material objects to find true beauty. Because of my selfish, naïve behavior, I was turned into a beast. The terms were that I would remain a beast for all time and my staff would be turned to inanimate objects if I did not find someone I loved for more than their beauty and who loved me in return. That someone was Belle." The crowd started murmuring and Adam tugged Belle forward to stand at his side. "She's the one who saw past the beast I'd become to the man I was. She saved me in more ways than one and I couldn't be more grateful for it. I love her with all my heart and I can only pray she feels the same towards me."

Belle smiled at him with unshed tears shining in her eyes. "You don't have to pray." She responded. "Loving you with everything in me is as natural as breathing."

He leaned down and gently kissed her. She smiled as she returned the kiss. He pulled away quickly so they wouldn't be deemed inappropriate, smiling back at her and sending her heart racing. "I hope you all will remember this the next time you want to criticize Belle for what you believe are non-traditional actions." The crowd started dispersing, going back to their normal routines. Adam turned back to the headmaster who was white as a ghost after hearing Adam's explanation. "I will allow you to return to your duties but consider this your first and only warning."

The headmaster nodded mutely before turning on his heel and all but sprinting back to the schoolhouse. Adam laughed and shook his head, turning back to Belle with a smile. "Thank you, for all of that." She said quietly.

He cupped her cheeks in his hand and kissed her forehead lightly. "As long as I am breathing, you will never be harmed, no matter how small the infraction." He told her, his voice so quiet only she could hear it. "It seemed I picked the perfect time to come to visit you. I've missed you, Belle."

"I've missed you too." She responded. "But it's only a few more days before the celebration and then we'll be together every day from sunrise to sunset."

He groaned playfully, eliciting a laugh from the girl. "Still too long of a wait." She laughed again.

She took his hands in hers, lowering them from her face. She looked over his shoulder to see Julienne listening with a smile as Delphine animatedly recounted the stories from the castle Belle had told her early. She looked back at Adam with questioning eyes. He knew what she was thinking and nodded. Leading him over to the mother and daughter, the two stood up straight and curtsied when they saw the couple. "No need for all of that." Belle waved off. "I was just wondering that since Delphine and I were so rudely interrupted that maybe she would want to finish our lesson in the castle library."

The little girl gasped with a smile and started bouncing up and down. "Oh please, _maman._ Can I?" She begged.

Julienne laughed at her daughter's excitement. "Only if I can come along." She teased lightly.

"Of course!" Adam said without hesitation. "Come along, we'll take my carriage back." Delphine let out a squeal and all but dragged her mother towards the carriage. Belle and Adam laughed at her enthusiasm before following the pair

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 **Thank you all so much for reading! I'm hopefully going to be posting more of these as the days go on so my account will be active again! Yay! And I'm planning to compile all my Beauty & the Beast one-shots into one book over on Wattpad so if you like them all and want them in one place, be sure to check that out in the next few weeks! Don't forget to R&R and follow my account for more updates!**

 **Quote of the Day: "A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ear" ― Edmond Rostand**

 **Song Suggestion: Michelle – The Beatles**


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